General Elections 2002

Day in and day out we read columns and columns of our writers about the state of affairs in Pakistan. Every body writes to get rid of corruption, take no more loans from abroad and make Pakistan an independent and viable state by following the policy of self-reliance. Every body tries to find fault with the government, no body writes, what is the best remedy for the sick and ailing nation. This reminds me of a French Painter’s work of art which he hung on a public square and the viewers were invited by the painter to put a dot at the place where they find a fault, by the evening the entire painting was besmeared with dots. The artist was wise enough to put another set of same painting on the public square and invited viewers to correct any flaw therein. By the evening the same painting was found without any correction and un-spoilt. Moral of the story is that it is very easy to criticize and find fault and it is very difficult to suggest positive improvement in any thing, at this critical juncture of Pakistan’s history the General would be better advised to distinguish between friends and foes among Pakistanis themselves. A wise enemy is always better than a foolish friend, the sycophants and the people around the General must be got rid off and General has to select who is who.

As a voracious reader of columns and newspapers I have observed that our column writers want more to see their name in print rather than suggest a remedy for the ailing nation. As a matter of fact, in a democratic country, which I hope, Pakistan is, and the teachings of Islam as well, every member of the nation has got the freedom not only to express his opinion but also to think positively about the nation and the country. Why don’t our columnists do it? Every Pakistani has embodied in itself a capability of the ruler, Let us suggest positive steps to be taken by the rulers. If necessary I would like to invite the readers of these columns to a meeting on the platform of Empower Pakistan Forum to discuss the problems facing the country and suggest ways and means to solve the problems facing Pakistan. Please contact me on fax no. 2412448 and e-mail: [email protected]

Very much stress is being laid on the forth-coming elections in October 2002. If these elections are also going to be held in the manner in which they have been held in the past, the result will be the same as we have seen before. The nation has witnessed the rape of democracy at the hands of the persons who profess to be the champions of democracy and the parliament ended into a hung parliament embodied in Allama Iqbal’s famous words ” Key Aaz Maghaze Doo sad Kher, Fikre Insanne nami Ayed.” meaning thereby that the brains of two hundred donkey’s can not produce the imagination of a human being – This is what is most harmful to the nation. No country survives under a dictator. Dictators also die. This is what happened in Germany, this is what happened in Russia, this is what happened in Indonesia and this is what happened in Iran, history is a witness to all this.

Requirement of Pakistan therefore is to introduce proportional representation system for elections rather than the parliament to be converted into a handmade of the Prime Minister, who is also a human being suffering from the disease of lust for power. The makers of history either do not care to read history or they do not want to learn from history, they only know how to make history. The system of proportional representation has been under discussion of our national political parties for last two decades but due to vested interest no party who profess justice and fair play if returned to power as a result of elections could adopt this system for the betterment of the life of the teeming million, who are unable to meet their basic requirements of life in this land of pure due to their political expediency, while in power.

It is under this system that elections are held in two tiers, and people vote for political parties all over the country instead of individual contestant candidates keeping in view the election manifesto of each political party and after the voting in the first run of elections, those political parties, which do not secure atleast 5 % of the total votes cast in election, they are debarred from participating in the elections in the second run and all those political parties who had secured atleast 5 % or more in the first run are allowed to participate in the final round of general election and all these parties total votes are then matched to the percentage of total vote cast and qualified number of seats are given to these parties according to their percentage of votes obtained in election to forward their nominees in the Parliament. It is only in this manner that illiterate people could be kept out of the corridors of power to make Pakistan a model, progressive and welfare state.

This system will keep out the riff raffs of the society with their bulging money bags and the local influential feudal lords, who have been writers of the destiny of Pakistani nation till today. The best part of proportional representation system is that the political parties would nominate their talents from amongst their ranks and file to the law making body. The Proportional Representation system of elections should also be made a subject of referendum if necessary. Every columnist is the writer of the destiny of his nation, let us not fail in our duty.

POPULAR CATEGORY

Media Monitors Network (MMN) is a non-profit, non-partial and non-political platform for those serious Media Contributors and Observers who crave to know and like to help to prevail the whole truth about current affairs, any disputed issue or any controversial issue by their voluntarily contributions with logic, reason and rationality.